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another broadhead thread

dante322

*Supporting Member*
5,506
157
Crawford county
OK, so we have all done the "what broadhead do you use" threads. But here is what i would like to know.

What broad heads have you tried? What did you like, dislike about them? what do you use now? and which ones are you thinking about trying?

I used to shoot Muzzy 100 grain. They flew nice, were relatively inexpensive, and were available almost anywhere. I was looking to try something that would leave more of a bloodtrail though so I switched to the magnus buzzcuts. Again I am not sure about the bloodtrail though. I shot 2 deer last year. The first one left no trail at all, but that deer was never recovered so I am not sure about the shot placement. The other deer was accidently spined and dropped in its tracks. There was no bloodtrail to follow. They are, again, inexpensive, fly good and are also easy to find.
I am considering going back to muzzy or possibly trying the steelforce or rage heads.

Will probably give the buzzcuts another season though.
 

Mike

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
15,840
223
Up Nort
I kilt two deer with Rage 2-blade, but I switched to slick tricks. I have not killed a deer with the ST, but I trust the people who have.
 

Milo

Tatonka guide.
8,184
157
dislike.....muzzy chisel tip heads, rages of all kinds, thunderheads

using magnus stinger 4 blade and Helix broadheads...i am surprised by your comments about the magnus...all mine die in less that 50 yards..

like muzzy phantom series alot..very sharp heads

trying german kinetics next...:smiley_allin:
 
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dante322

*Supporting Member*
5,506
157
Crawford county
Like I said, I don't have enough field experiences with the buzzcuts to make an informed decision. The deer that couldn't be found was shot at dusk. We couldn't find any blood but it was dark and it might have actually been there. I wasn't sure of the shot so we pulled out till morning and , of course, it rained that night. For all I know there could have been a red carpet. I'm going to stick with them for at least another year.

I recall a conversation we had last year about sharpening those heads. I might need to pick your brain about that again. If I remember right you recommended a specific type of sharpener.
 

Milo

Tatonka guide.
8,184
157
yep we can touch them up and get them going. don't go out and buy one cause i have one that you can use. you going with lighted nocks next year?
 

CJD3

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
14,630
201
NE Ohio
I have shot the 100gr Muzzy with the chisel tip for over 10 years. From an elevated stand out to low 20 yard shots, I'm shattering or cutting through 1-2 ribs and getting a complete pass-through. They never go far. For me, its worken.
But, I should add that my whole bow set-up is 15 years old so...go figure. lol
 

RedCloud

Super Moderator
Super Mod
17,381
193
North Central Ohio
I have shot the 100gr Muzzy with the chisel tip for over 10 years. From an elevated stand out to low 20 yard shots, I'm shattering or cutting through 1-2 ribs and getting a complete pass-through. They never go far. For me, its worken.
But, I should add that my whole bow set-up is 15 years old so...go figure. lol

HEAR that JEFFF !!!!

I think somebody else needs your pocket change to upgrade his bow lmao Sorry buddy. Couldn't resist.



I used Snuffers for years (never shot anything with them outside of groundhogs)
Shot Thunderheads for a few years (never shot anything other then groundhogs)
Started shooting Slick Tricks and ya know what....I finally shot a dang deer with it lol

That's not entirely true. I did shoot one with the Thunderhead and she ran about 40 yards and piled up. No blood trail.

The buck I shot with the Slick Trick was spine shot and dropped in his tracks but I can say that if it would have been a TH it wouldn't have held together the way this ST did. I will give the 100gr ST another year and see what happens this fall.
 

hickslawns

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
39,721
248
Ohio
I have used Muzzy MX3s and SLick tricks. Killed deer with both of them. Killed 3 last year with Slick Tricks. None went over 50 yards and all were pass thru shots. I have killed two with the Muzzy broad heads. Killed them plenty dead as well, also pass thru shots. Main reason for changing: I was getting the Muzzy's torn up just target shooting. (I quickly learned to shoot at different sections of the target. lol) Didn't seem like I was getting as much accuracy as I would have liked with the MX3's either. Decided to try something different. The SLick Tricks seem to fly more true for my setup, seem to be more stout, and I will stick with them another season.
 

jagermeister

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Supporting Member
18,060
223
Ohio
Muzzys - garbage chisel tip, almost never spin true, dull as fugg, and are NOT bad to the bone like they claim. I killed two deer with muzzys, and both times the blades broke apart.

NAP Thunderheads - dull, noisy, and leave a shitty blood trail

G5 Tekans - I had great success with these heads... Very durable considering they're a mechanical head, and are fairly sharp. The blood trails were sub-par though, IMO.

Steel Force Phatheads - Love them... scary sharp from the factory, tough as nails (blades are twice as thick as most other heads), no problems spin testing them, and leave some nice blood trails. The only thing I dislike about them is they are fairly noisy while in flight.

Magnus Stingers - very tough, always spin true, scary sharp from the factory, quiet, and best of all they have a LIFETIME WARRANTY... ding one up?... send it back to Magnus and they'll send you a new one. I have not yet found anything about these heads that I dislike. However, I have not killed a deer with one yet, so there are still some unknowns. But based on the design and the sharpness, I highly doubt the blood trails would be poor.
 

Huckleberry Finn

Senior Member
15,973
135
The two Magnus Stingers I put into deer made big holes, good blood even on the bad shot, and the other was knocked down and didn't get up. Simple, huge, sharp...and not to mention the warranty...and availability through my bow dealer and pro-shop!
 
Used to use:
Savora 3 blade - Never killed a deer with them but my dad still uses them to this date!
Wasp Cam-Lok 3 blade - Big holes, not consistent flight from what I remember.
Muzzy 3 Blade 125's - Hit one deer with them and never found it.
Thunderhead 125's - Killed a few deer with them. Good and reliable.
Thunderhead 100's - Killed several deer with them and one bear. Very reliable out to 25 to 30 yards for me but any further I lost confidence in their accuracy. May have been tuning issues at the time as well.
Sonic Pro 100's - Killed a few deer with them. Never lost one. Flew decent but not just like my field tips. Small holes and scant blood trails.

Using now:
G5 T3's - Killed two deer with them last year. Most importantly they flew exactly like my field tips out to 50 yards while practicing. Big holes is what I was after and they do provide. First deer was a doe that maybe went 100 yards, shot through one lung and liver. Second deer was my biggest buck ever that went a long ways. The shot was back and likely just clipped the liver, maybe between the liver and lungs. Lost the deer in the rain and was recovered later that week. Will still use them again this year. The shots on both of these were operator error when it came to them not being the perfect shots and not due to the broadhead. The doe I shot as she moved and the buck I punched the trigger too early, the arrow went right where my pin was at the time.
 

DJK Frank 16

Senior Member
Supporting Member
9,358
133
Hardin County
Thunderheads - Never did fly well outta my crossbow when I was younger. Could have been a variety of factors, who knows.

Rage 2-blade - Flew great, awesome blood trail. No complaints from me.

Slick Tricks - Flew awesome, razor sharp, durable.
 

Schu72

Well-Known Member
3,864
113
Streetsboro
All 7 of my archery kills were with Rocky Mountain Assassins. 3 bucks and 4 does. Six were complete pass throughs. The one that wasn't was a deflected shot that hit her in the hip. Still found her dead in less than 90 minutes. Blood trails varied based on shot placement. No notable flight noise, fly just like a field point, no tuning required, cheap. However, they are disontinued so I'll be looking for a new head shortly. I will likely stick with some sort of mechanical for ease of use.
 

brock ratcliff

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Koplin- Killed my first two deer with them. Junk heads, dull and fragile.

Rocky Mountain 3 blade. Killed several with them. Junk. Fragile.

Zwickey Delta. Tough as heck. Killed two or three with them. Small hole, little blood, but dead deer.
Fred Bear Razorhead. Fragile, tip bends easily.

Wasp cam lock. Lost blades everytime I hit a bone.

Thunderhead 125. Fairly durable, sharp, decent hole, poor blood trails usually. Killed quite a few with 'em.

Muzzy 130, 4 blade. Tough as heck, killed a bunch of deer with 'em. Fair blood trail.

Original Phantom 125. Killed a lot of deer with them. Shot them out of a "bone busting bow" with the heaviest arrow I could find. Performance equaled dead deer, but I shreaded a few heads by intentionally shooting through deer's shoulders. It worked, but not much left of the head.

Muzzy 3 blade 100. Shot them from 2000 to 2005. Loved 'em. Not as durable as the 130, but excellent in relation to other 100 grain heads, IMO. No flight issues!

NAP Shockwave. Looks like junk, and I'd have never tried them if not for two factors; 1). My bowhunting mentor had been shooting them and loved them. 2). Bought my first pack off a clearance rack at Walmart for $11. Shot them through quite a few deer the first year (5). Great blood trails, great flight, dead deer...and no broken blades! I've been shooting them the most ever since.

Rocket Hammerhead. Huge cutting diameter, never saw deer die so quickly. I shot two with them. The first was quartered away, took off on her death run and made it 11 yards! The second ran about 35 or so. Downside, they are fragile as heck.

Carbon Express Talon. Biggest POS I have ever shot. I shot a deer, a coyote, and a turkey with them this fall. Broke at least one blade on all three. Never shoot another one! I switched back to my shockwaves after having seen a thin skinned turkey tear the head to pieces..... JUNK!
 

Dannmann801

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
10,640
191
Springboro
Started out with Muzzy 4blade 100. Had accuracy issues (probably mine), didn't fly anywhere near field tips (6" right and 6" low).
Switched to ST's and they are the bomb, fly great and kill stuff big time.
Have some Rage's and missed the only shot I ever took (my fault, not the broadhead), so I can't comment on them, but I'm anxious to stick something with one.
 

Hoytmania

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
11,518
167
Gods Country
Started out shoot thunderhead 125s when I was hunting with crossbow. Never had any issues with them and only had one deer out of 6 that went further than 60 yds and that was my fault due to bad placement.

Once I converted to compound I started shooting G5 Months. Have had great luck with them. Desent blood trails wether it was a pass through or not. Love the fact that they are one price stainless steel. After shooting a deer just spend a few minutes on the stone with them and they areas good as new. Will probably continue to shoot them till I have a reason to spend money on new broadheads.
 

bowhunter1023

Owner/Operator
Staff member
48,879
274
Appalachia
Killed my first deer with a Thunderhead 125. They'll do the job, but I never stuck with them.

Killed the next couple with Muzzy 3-blades. I like the way they fly and that you can change the blades on them...

Killed one with a WASP Jak-Hammer. Left a pretty good sized hole, but I didn't like how fragile the bands were...

Killed one with a NAP Spitfire. That left a hell of a hole, but I only one of those heads and never did buy another...

Killed 2-3 with Grim Reapers and liked them alright until I bought my Switchback XT and switched arrows. For whatever reason, and it could have been a change in the head itself, they were loud as hell in flight. They had a bad whistle to them and I never did shoot them again.

Killed 1 doe with the original G5 Tekan and 2 with the Tekan II's. I liked the original head way better before they went to the new forged blades. The second doe I shot, was a 10-ring thankfully because the blades never deployed. The newer blades wanted to stick and it nearly cost me a deer, so I'll never shoot them again.

Kill 6 total with Rages 2-blades and really have nothing bad to say about them. The buck I killed in 2008 was a fully mature deer, so it was a good test for the Rage. I hit him at 32 yards quartered away with the arrow breaking his last rib on entrance, and breaking the 2nd or 3rd rib from the front on exit and stuck in the ground on the opposite side. It cut his liver in to two pieces and chopped a 1.5" section of the top of his lungs. It was the most devastation I have ever seen from a broadhead. However the more I shot them and the more "horror" stories I heard from others, the more doubt that crept in my mind that sooner or later, the mechanical aspect of these heads would bite me in the ass...

At this point, I have killed 3 deer with Slick Trick Magnums and believe I have found the broadhead I will use until I can no longer buy them. I have not shot anything tougher, nor have I shot anything that flies better out of my setup. The holes they leave truly do resemble a slug hole and not the slit that a Rage will leave. The blood trails are far superior to what I was getting from the Rages. The buck I killed in 2010 was a lung/liver hit and he died within 30 yards of the shot. I watched Tracie put one through a button buck at 30 yards this year that broke two ribs and stuck in the dirt on the opposite side. It was almost like the broadhead pulled the arrow through that deer. I put another one through the same deer to prevent a track job and it broke the spine and cartilage on the brisket, yet still looked showroom new. IMO of all the broadheads I have shot and killed deer with, the Slick Trick Magnums are the cat's ass.